My schedule can get quite full as I work a full-time job (which takes about 13 hours of my day from the time I get up to the time I get home), leading the children’s ministry “part time” in the church (we know how that is), as well as running Commander Bill, Small Church Kidmin, and other ministry activities. If I’m not careful, then I can neglect my family. I have to admit that at times I am jealous of my wife who is able to spend time with our grandchildren, going to the zoo, spending the day with them, etc.
Recently our daughter began planning a trip to Sesame Place for our grandchildren and she inquired if we wanted to join them. I was conflicted. My answer was yes and no. I wanted to go because I wanted to share the memories with them, but with the new Awana year beginning and being scheduled to lead workshops at six (6) Awana conferences on consecutive weekends beginning in 2 weeks; I really needed to take this weekend and focus on preparing the workshops for the conferences – but I didn’t want to see the pictures of my wife and my grandchildren having a good time, building memories, and me not be there because I was working on ministry items.
What decision should I make?
What decision would you make?
My decision….. My wife is resting in a hotel room near Sesame Place while I sit at my desk writing this post … in the same hotel room. Yes, building and maintaining a good relationship with my family, building memories with my grandchildren, won out over ministry.
Life is about relationships. Relationships with God first, our family, and others around us. God sought a relationship with man (Adam) in the beginning. God saw that it was not good for man to be alone and created a helpmate, a companion, a wife for Adam. God has made man to have relationships and we should seek to maintain them, not break them as Adam and Eve did with God.
Do not become so busy that you neglect God. Do not become so focused on ministry that you neglect your family.
Now the part to make you think….
It is easy to agree to make time for immediate family, but your leaders and clubbers need you as well. Discipleship is all about relationships. If you are an Awana Ministry Director (AMD) or a director of a specific club like Cubbies, Sparks, T&T, Trek and Journey, then you need to be building relationships with the leaders who serve under you. If you are a leader, then you need to be building relationships with the clubbers. There are times when we as leaders can become so focused on the task at hand (completing sections and handbooks) that we forget that what people need is relationships which lead to discipleship.
Directors, do you want long term, committed volunteers? Show them you care.
Do you want to have an impact on a child’s life? Show them you care.
Don’t just go through the motions, but really care. (1 John 3:18)
Are you willing to sacrifice some of the time you need for work in order to reach out to a leader, or a child in your ministry like you would a family member?
We all must make the decision, often many times, if we will sacrifice to build relationships and be there at a special time for someone, or if we will prioritize something else over them.
Sometimes the “work” must come first, other times it can wait. That is the decision that we all must make and it is often not an easy decision. The next two weeks and the upcoming holiday weekend will be heavily focused on preparing for the Awana Ministry Conferences and the start of my club. A price I am willing to pay to spend this special day with my grandchildren. A price I would be willing to pay if one of the leaders serving under me, or one of the children in my ministry needed me, or it was an opportunity to build relationships in some way that would have an eternal impact.
When it comes time for you to make that decision, I hope that you would consider all scenarios and select the one which would have the greatest impact for the Kingdom.
